Major tech giants including Microsoft, Cisco, Google, Amazon, and even Netflix have recently begun implementing entirely new video compression technologies to revolutionize online video streaming. The new AV1 standard can enhance the quality of other video compression technologies while utilizing only about 60 to 70% of network capacity compared to predecessor video codecs.
For most companies, AV1 will emerge as a replacement for H.264. Until now, the old standard has been functioning adequately, but it's considerably outdated. It's been around for over 15 years, and evidently, our video codecs and their demands have far surpassed its capabilities. Everything from the demand for 4K video to AR and VR applications implies that videos need to be of higher quality, better, and faster than ever before.
AV1 - A Powerful New Standard for Video
Perhaps you're wondering what AV1 is and its role in online video streaming. AV1 is a new-generation open-source video compression format, intended to be the successor to Google's VP9 and a competitor to the HEVC standard. This royalty-free codec is developed by the Alliance for Open Media. The group was established to address the challenges faced by old video standards, with the aim of introducing a new codec that can increase video system efficiency by at least 30%.
With founding members including Amazon, Cisco, Google, Intel Corporation, Microsoft, Mozilla, and Netflix, the AOM alliance focuses on providing a next-generation video format:
- Interactive and open-source capable.
- Optimized for web pages.
- Scalable to any modern device at any bandwidth.
- Hardware optimized.
- Capable of delivering real-time video consistently, with the highest quality.
- Flexible for both commercial and non-commercial content, including user-generated content.
Upgrades make AV1 significantly more robust and capable of meeting today's video demands. AV1 isn't just used for streaming content online like your favorite Netflix shows, but it's also a powerful real-time video solution for companies interested in conducting video conferences.
One of the major benefits of this new standard is its efficient compression capability. Compression is often a crucial component of online streaming as it helps eliminate blurry content and enhances connections with higher resolutions. Of course, that's not the only benefit of AV1. It's also a royalty-free codec. This means the codec can spread faster and develop more robustly.
Where Does AV1 Appear?
The new video standard from AOM could be ubiquitous, present in any video connection, from video connections while watching YouTube to your workplace video chat screen. Additionally, the speed and efficiency of this technology could usher in a new era for the AV world, with VR headset devices and high-resolution videos achieving even higher quality.
Currently, there is still much to be done before AV1 is widely adopted, including software and hardware implementation, real-time connection upgrades, and the introduction of new interactive capabilities. It will take some time, but we will soon welcome the next generation of video in the near future.